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Cessna 208

By Wikipedia,
the free encyclopedia,

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cessna_208

Cessna 208 Caravan
A 2004 Cessna 208B
Role Turboprop
Manufacturer Cessna
First flight 8 August 1982
Introduced 1984
Primary user FedEx Feeder (253)
Number built 1,500+
Unit cost $1.5 million to $2.2 million USD
Variants Soloy Pathfinder 21

The Cessna 208 Caravan, is a single turboprop engine, fixed-gear short-haul regional airliner and utility aircraft built in the USA by Cessna. The airplane typically seats nine passengers, with a single person crew, although with a FAR Part 23 waiver, it can seat up to fourteen passengers. The aircraft is also used for cargo feederliner operations.

Design and development

The prototype first flew in December 1982 for two years of certification and testing. The production model was certified by the FAA in October 1984. Since then, the Caravan has undergone a number of design evolutions. Working with FedEx, Cessna produced first the Cargomaster, and followed that with the stretched and upgraded Super Cargomaster. The passenger model, the Grand Caravan, was derived from the Super Cargomaster.


Cessna 208B Grand Caravan factory demonstrator, with under-belly baggage locker, bearing the Cessna Caravan motto
Cessna 208B Grand Caravan factory demonstrator, with under-belly baggage locker, bearing the Cessna Caravan motto "Sure Thing"

2004 model Cessna 208B Grand Caravan
2004 model Cessna 208B Grand Caravan

An RCMP Caravan on amphibious floats.
An RCMP Caravan on amphibious floats.

A FedEx Caravan flies overhead on short approach.
A FedEx Caravan flies overhead on short approach.

Cessna Caravan at Centennial Airport
Cessna Caravan at Centennial Airport

Cessna Caravan of Green Hawk Aerobatic Team.
Cessna Caravan of Green Hawk Aerobatic Team.

Cessna offers the 208B in many configurations. The basic 208 airframe can be outfitted with various types of landing gear, allowing it to operate in a wide variety of environments. Some common adaptations include skis, enlarged tires for unprepared runways, and floats on the Caravan Amphibian model.

In the cabin, the Caravan can be outfitted with seats or cargo holds. The standard high-density airline configuration features four rows of 1-2 seating behind the two seats in the cockpit. This variant is capable of holding up to thirteen passengers, although it is marketed as being able to make a profit carrying just four. The cabin can also be configured in a low density passenger configuration, with 1-1 seating, as a combination of passengers and cargo, or as a strictly cargo aircraft. Many variants include an under-belly cargo pod, which can be used for additional freight capacity, or for passenger baggage. A number of Caravans are operated as skydiving aircraft with the left-side cargo hatch converted to a roll-up door.

On April 28, 2008, Cessna announced that the Garmin G1000 glass cockpit will be standard equipment on all new Caravans.

Variants

Civilian

  • 208A Caravan I The basic introductory model, outfitted for passenger operation.*
  • 208A Caravan 675 The current production model of the basic Caravan, with higher-powered PT6A-114A engine.
  • 208A Cargomaster Developed with FedEx, a pure cargo version of the Caravan. Fedex took delivery of 40 of these aircraft.
  • 208B Grand Caravan A stretch of the Caravan I by 4 feet (1.2 m). The 208B also features a more powerful PT6A-114A engine.
  • 208B Super Cargomaster The cargo variant of the 208B series. FedEx took delivery of 260 of these.
  • Caravan Amphibian A 208A Caravan with Wipaire 8000 floats in place of the landing gear, for water landings. Amphibious versions of the floats are available to permit land operations.
  • Soloy Pathfinder 21 A twin engine stretch of the 208 developed by the Soloy Corporation. This aircraft features two PT6D-114A engines driving a single propeller, and a 70-inch (1,800 mm) stretch behind the wing.

Military

  • U-27A A military offering of the 208A.
  • C-98 The Brazilian Air Force designation for the standard U-27.
  • C-16 The proposed United States Army designation for an armed version of the U-27 that was intended to be used in Central America for counter guerrilla/insurgency warfare. However this aircraft was rejected due to the aircraft's vulnerability to ground fire.
  • AC-208 "Combat Caravan" ISR version armed with hellfire missiles currently being marketed to the Lebanese and Iraqi air forces.

Operators

Civil operators

 Australia
 Botswana
 Brazil
 Belize
 Canada
 Chile
 Colombia
 Costa Rica
 France
 Greece
 Mexico
 New Zealand
 Panama
 Paraguay
  • Aerolíneas Paraguayas S.A. (ARPA)
  • DELCAR Taxi Aéreo
  • Concret-Mix S.A
 Peru
 South Africa
 Thailand
 United Kingdom
 Uruguay
 United States
 Venezuela

Military operators


An Iraqi Air Force Cessna 208 flies over Iraq on a training sortie.
An Iraqi Air Force Cessna 208 flies over Iraq on a training sortie.
 Brazil
 Colombia
 Chile
 Lebanon
 Iraq
 Mexico
 South Africa
 Thailand
 United Arab Emirates

Specifications (208B)

Data from http://www.airliners.net/info/stats.main?id=158

General characteristics

  • Crew: 1-2 (Aircraft is certified for single pilot operation)
  • Capacity: 14 passengers
  • Length: 41 ft 7 in (12.67 m)
  • Wingspan: 52 ft 1 in (15.88 m)
  • Height: 14 ft 2 in (4.32 m)
  • Wing area: 279.4 ft² (26 m²)
  • Empty weight: 4,570 lb (2,078 kg)
  • Max takeoff weight: 8,750 lb (3,970 kg)
  • Powerplant:PT6A-114 turboshaft, 675 hp (505 kW)

Performance

See also

Related development

Comparable aircraft

External links




Text from Wikipedia is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License; additional terms may apply.


Published in July 2009.




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